Monday, November 28, 2016

Author Interview with Cailin Briste

WELCOME TO ONE OF OUR OWN RWBB AUTHORS: CAILIN BRISTE!

Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Erotic Romance

What’s the kinkiest, sexiest thing you’ve ever done:

Hmmm. I’m not sure I want to admit to that. The biggest stretch for me, something I wasn’t totally comfortable with but did any way, was sex in public. And, no, it didn’t get easier on repeat. And, no, we never got caught.

How bad do you get with your writing, are we talking just suggestion or down right bondage?

Downright bondage. I go way past bondage sometimes into things that may make my readers uncomfortable, but it always has purpose behind it. In Maon the first kink scene included cock and ball torture. Dr. K had a hard time reading that, but it was integral to who Maon was and how he perceived himself. In this instance, it wasn’t about sex.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever written—the best line?

I’m not sure I have a best line I’ve written, but I do have a scene I love. Here’s a bit of it:
Randolph settled back and took a swig from his beer. “I don’t get the puke joke. Something about Selina’s pink dress.”
“Morning sickness,” Shane said.
“God, kids.”
“He bought it lock, stock, and barrel,” Shane agreed.
“Better him than me,” Randolph said. “Just being at a wedding scares the crap out of me.”
Shane laughed. “No worries. There’s not a Tallavan woman alive that’d marry either one of us. Off planet, we do the asking. We’re safe.”
“Mmmpf,” Randolph agreed.
Shane’s book is first in the series, so those who are reading it in publication order already know that Shane has found his one true love. And as far as Randolph being safe, not a chance. He’s next up.

If you could have any movie star take on a role as one of your heroes, who would it be?

I’ve played with the celebrity cast for Shane and blogged on my selections for Shane and Adrianna In Shane: Marshal of Tallav, Joe Manganiello would play Shane, and Rachel McAdams would play Adrianna. I’ll be posting more about the fantasy casts for both Shane and Maon: Marshal of Tallav in the future. I also have Pinterest boards for each of my novels that include cast photos and a board just for the House of Shirley (fashion design house) from Maon.

Size counts… on average how loooooonnnnnggg do you like your (um, how do we put it delicately) manuscripts to be ;> (in words silly, not inches) and how steamy?

My novels run between 90,000 and 100,000 words. My short stories run between 6,000 and 7,000 words. I’m working on a novella which I think will be about 20,000 words.

What are the hardest scenes to write for you?

The more emotionally intimate a scene becomes the harder it is for me to write. I tend to pull back and not get to the true heart of the scene. My editors don’t let me get away with this.

How close in real life have you gotten to one of your fantasies?

If you leave out fantasies that are not physically possible (yet – science fiction can become science fact), then I would have to say I’ve come close. The only factor that would keep me back would be the willingness of Dr. K. He was my fantasy come to life when I first met him, and he still is today.

Do your books have a message you want your readers to grasp?

I’m not a happy-for-now person. My books all have a happily-ever-after (HEA). Because I believe in marriage, my characters get married. I also like to play with viewpoints in my novels. So, the Sons of Tallav all come from a matriarchal planet where they struggle with their masculine nature in a society that has swapped traditional male/female roles. I explore what that would be like for dominant alpha men and how they struggle to find their HEA. if there's a message in that, it would be that inflexibility in society will always make life hard for those who don't fit the mold. But I don't preach that in the book. I can't stand books that make their "message" more important than the story. My books are all about the characters and their stories.

What would you want other writers and your readers to know about you?

I read as much as I write, and I think that makes me a better writer. While I write science fiction romance, I love Regency romance, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, and military science fiction. Each of these genres influence my writing. For example, when I began writing the Sons of Tallav series set in the Federation several millennia in the future, I drew my own star map and figured out lots of technical details for how people traveled in space. Some of this is found in the books, especially Shane, but most of it was worldview building for myself, to get a sense of that universe. My readers didn’t need to know all that stuff, but I did. I’ve uploaded a Sons of Tallav glossary of terms to my free page that goes into greater depth for those readers who want more detail on my worldbuilding.

I also am very appreciative of advice and feedback from anyone willing to give it. When it comes to others' impressions of my book. I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, please post reviews of my books and let me know what you think. If there’s something you hate, I want to know. But I’ll also admit to wanting to know what you liked. I don’t write for myself. I write for you.

And finally, anything you would like to share with us, an excerpt, a tidbit, or anything else about yourself?

I’ll share a tidbit from my upcoming release Maon: Marshal of Tallav. This is the first time Maon sees Selina as a Domme. She’s disguised, so he has no idea who it is.
He caught a flash of color. Shit. He came to an abrupt halt, exploring the vision across the room. Burnt-orange corset, a tiny black skirt, full latex hood with a flame feathered mask, and black leather stiletto boots. Everything about her sizzled fiery hot. The flogger and whip hung at her hip and the riding crop in her hand screamed Domme. The sizzle didn’t stop at her accoutrements. The sight of her seared Maon. It wasn’t physically possible for a woman that small to have legs that long. Or was she just perfectly proportioned? Whatever. He would suffer burns to be near her.

Author Bio
Cailin has been writing fiction for five years and non-fiction for two decades. Her non-fiction work has been published in magazines and in a non-fiction anthology. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter, and the RWA Passionate Ink Chapter.

Cailin likes to flip convention on its head, creating a universe in which each planet is a study in different what ifs. What would happen to alpha men on a matriarchal planet where the women are not Dommes in the strictest sense but certainly have the attitude down pat? How would society handle it if girls born on their new planet developed empathic senses? Cailin throws her characters into these settings, heroes and heroines whose kink is a major defining attribute of their personality.

Links to reach Cailin Briste: Website | Blog | Email | Goodreads | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

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